Truck Tales - 2002 Chevy Pickup Upgrades

Written
by
Terry Stevens
on May 15, 2006 It seems that everyone these days has a pickup. Don't believe it? Take a look around the next time you're on the road. The real issue for any Car Crafter is how to stand out in the sea of trucks in both performance and looks while still keeping the prac

The best-selling vehicles in the U.S. today are pickups. Just look around as you mosey down the highways and byways and you will realize that trucks come in every shape and size and are often personalized by their owners and reflect their owner's personality.

It is still true in many regions of our country that you can drink a man's liquor, you can steal a man's girlfriend, but don't be messin' with his truck!

2/13The first step was to upgrade to a nicer set of wheels and tires. Wayne Brown at Lindsay Tire in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, installed the Ultra 17-inch chrome wheels. The Breman ground effects were also painted and installed at Lindsay.

So we buy that perfect truck, whether it be used or new, and immediately start making it our personal calling card. This might entail brushed-steel toolboxes for that work truck or a new set of ground effects for that new sport truck.

Follow along as I detail how I created my own Silverado SS to serve as a combination rolling performance platform and work truck. I have recently retired from the airline industry where I had 32 years worth of experience, but it was successful since my number of landings equaled the number of takeoffs! Since I was also a Navy pilot, I have always believed in operating the best and most powerful equipment available. I installed the Magnuson Supercharger, Hotchkis front sway bar, Tokico shocks, Dynatech headers, and a Pace-Edwards Jackrabbit cover. The rear sway bar had to be integrated around the Flowmaster exhaust so we employed Gene Childress' talents at Muffler Masters since he had the welding tools and heavy-duty drill.

By The Numbers

Stock

Magnuson

Dynatech

5.3L

Supercharger

Headers

Rear Wheel HP

244 @ 4,{{{600}}}

350 @ 5,{{{300}}}

364 @ 5,800

Rear Wheel TQ

282 @ 4,{{{100}}}

393 @ 3,700

400 @ 3,{{{200}}}

Stock gas mileage: 14 city/17 highway

Parts List

Component

Manufacturer

PN

Front & rear antiroll bar

Hotchkis

2229

Front shocks

Tokico

GE2952

Rear shocks

Tokico

GE3685C

Supercharger kit

Magnuson

01-12-60-001

Headers

Dynatech

115-841300

Exhaust system

Flowmaster

17257

Bedrug

Bedrug

BR-C99SB-K

Bed cover

Pace-Edwards

TR2003/TR2005

12/13

No article in Car Craft would be complete without some performance testing. The truck turned a 14.20 @ 96 mph at Bristol last fall with the Magnuson Supercharger in place. This spring, after adding the Dynatech headers, the best time at Mooresville Dragway was a 9.40 @ 76 mph in the eighth-mile. As you can see, there was basically no traction in First gear. It actually hooks better on the street.

13/13

Yes, even a 5,000-pound behemoth can autocross! Of course you may not be competitive with all those flyweight cars, but just go out and have fun. During this event, the truck ran the course in 54.6 seconds compared to the quickest Mini at 48 seconds. Our Silverado bested a lot of smaller cars and won its class.